The blog formerly known as "Angus Nicolson - an incredulous eye on the isles" this was the blog of an ordinary, boring, former Councillor in the Western Isles of Scotland.
Angus is taking a sabbatical to be with his young family
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The truths they don't want you to read....

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

I understand that our esteemed MP has spoken to Jim Mather, and persuaded him by force of argument and dialectic skill, to think about attending a Woolies Summit to discuss the inability of the people of Lewis, Harris and the Uists to purchase Pick'n'mix and tartan Loch Ness Monsters bearing the message "Ceud Mile Failt from Stornaway".

Speaking about the Woolworth closures, Western Isles SNP MP Angus MacNeil said: "I have what is believed to be the most profitable Woolworths in the country, in Stornoway in Lewis. The store I understand made over a million-pound profit last year. This news comes as a devastating blow to the island as well as the wider community.

Ignoring the appalling syntax, there is now a fantastic opportunity for a local businessman (or woman) to come in and generate £1m profit to be kept on the island rather than shipped away. Or does MacNeil prefer us to rely on others, rather than actually support local people achieving something?

"This is Labour's mishandling of the UK economy literally coming home to roost. I hope the government does not sit idly by but takes an active roll in trying to find a solution to keep Woolworth on our streets," he added.

Is the "active roll" available in brown or white?

What utter shite!

If the company is failing, why should taxpayers support it? Why does MacNeil not see this as an opportunity to replace a shop full of tat and shoplifting teenagers, with a shop that ploughs the profits back into the local community? What is this culture of dependency that politicians seem to like to create?

It must be a sickener for the staff to know that they are to be made redundant soon, but does anyone have any job security these days (apart from civil servants)?

Mr Macneil “This is Labour’s mishandling of the UK economy literally coming home to roost.

“I hope the government does not sit idly by but takes an active roll in trying to find a solution to keep Woolworth’s on our Streets.

Sorry you have it all wrong. A firm that racks up 350 Million pound debt, yes £350,000,000 DEBT has been very badly managed and badly run from the top, Woolworth’s begun to look more like a More store in recent months.

For Mr Macneil to take a swipe at labour shows a gross ignorance of the retail market. If the credit crunch had never happened we would still be in exactly the same situation. I would go even further to say that by turning themselves into low value retailer before the credit crunch probably only made them last longer.

Mr McNeil (who I voted for) should be more interested in the Western Isles situation rather than the very cheap press release (read one get one free) that they clearly have not done any research on or have in-depth knowledge off

I wish all the local staff a prosperous New Year as a prime retail position I hope many if not all get new jobs in the New Year with whoever takes over.

One MP said the chain was an "icon of the high street" and its demise was "a tragedy". He also reckoned it was partially the prime minister's fault, the result of a credit crunch "for which Gordon Brown must take a great deal of responsibility".

Angus MacNeil, MP for the Western Isles, said the closure of a branch in Stornoway would be a "devastating blow" and was the result of Labour's mishandling of the economy. The government, he said, should not "sit idly by" but help find a solution "to keep Woolworths on our streets". What exactly is he suggesting? Some type of government bail-out along the lines of Hank Paulson's TARP, or Troubled Assets Relief Programme, for US banks? Some sort of Troubled Woolworths Emergency Rescue Plan, maybe?

Let's be clear about the demise of Woolworths. It was not caused by Gordon Brown, or the credit crunch. It was caused by failing to attract enough shoppers to spend money. It was the result of being a horrible place to shop, which offered nothing that wasn't cheaper or better elsewhere. It got killed by supermarkets, specialist retailers such as Game and better operators, such as Argos. It failed to move out of town. It was floated off by Kingfisher in an unfit state and weighed down by debt.

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